


The Adventures of Cas and Dean

by spnfanatic



Series: A Profound Bond [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, BAMF Castiel, Chuck as God, Chuck likes being a writer, Eventual Castiel/Dean Winchester, Evil Chuck Shurley, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt Castiel (Supernatural), Hurt Dean Winchester, Kind of meta, M/M, Multi POV, Noncon romantic situations, Post season 14, Protective Castiel (Supernatural), Protective Dean Winchester, Series, anything goes because Chuck says so, cas and dean in different romantic stories, chuck messing with the boys, memory manipulation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-02-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:41:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22518673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spnfanatic/pseuds/spnfanatic
Summary: Chuck was really bored. He decided he wanted to mess with the Winchesters and their favorite angel. He had a lot of fans that liked Destiel anyways. Why not give the fans what they want? Even if the boys didn’t seem all that into it…(or) the one where Dean and Cas are tossed in different roles and are trying to survive. And maybe eventually realizing their profound bond is there for a reason.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Series: A Profound Bond [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1629511
Comments: 4
Kudos: 44





	1. Does this seem right? Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to make this funny but it didn't come out this way. This was supposed to be a story where I could take a break from my more serious story crossovers. Turns out this has more plot than I wanted. I'm going to try and juggle a few stories.

Dean Winchester was 35 years old and completely in love with his best friend, Cas. Wait...that didn’t seem right. Dean blinked and looked around him. He was in a fancy room, sitting at a large, fancy table with lots of food served on plates and in pots. He looked down at his plate, already full of rice and chicken and steak and mashed potatoes with gravy...and was that pie on another plate? It all looked and smelled heavenly and suddenly he couldn’t wait to dig in. He was hungry, starved actually. Like he hadn’t eaten all day. He was about to pick up a fork when he felt a hand come on top his.

Dean nearly jumped in surprise and turned to the owner of said hand to tell them off. He paused when he saw it was Cas, looking somewhat bewildered, his face pale and eyes wide, lips curled in a tight frown. He was wearing a crisp black suit and tie and Dean, for some reason, wondered if they were on a case. He shook his head, wondering why he thought of that. This was his best friend Cas Novak. He invited Dean to meet his parents after they’d been dating for 8 months. Dean had been scared to take the next step in their relationship but Cas was good at coaxing him out of his shell, and well, here they were. 

“Dean...do you remember anything?” Cas whispered frantically.

And Dean wondered what his boyfriend was talking about. He shrugged Cas’ hand off him and began to eat his food. Cas needed to chill out because he was sure he had his whole family looking at them like they were crazy. 

“I don’t think we’re supposed to be here,” Cas continued, not fazed by the stares.

Dean looked up, suddenly uncomfortable. Naomi, Cas’ mom, was staring daggers at them. She sat at the far end. To her left sat Michael and to her right was Lucifer. Balthazar and Gabriel sat next to Lucifer, while Samandriel and Raphael sat next to Michael. The only person missing was Cas’ father. Dean looked back down, trying not to fidget. He felt Cas grab ahold of his arm again and couldn’t help but hiss, “Shut up, Cas. Your family’s staring at us.”

“Something’s wrong,” Cas said. “I don’t think this is real.”

Dean suddenly laughed out loud. “Man the food is really good, Mrs. Novak.” He stabbed a fork into his chicken and made a show to eat it. He nudged Cas hard in the rib and felt the guy’s hand as it loosened its grip. 

“Yes,” Cas said rather forcefully. “It is rather delicious... _mother_.”

Naomi went back to her own food after a moment. “Isn’t it, darling?”

Dean wasn’t sure what was going on but after dinner, he was going to have a word with his boyfriend. Cas definitely owed him an explanation for his outburst. It didn’t make sense and this wasn’t exactly the kind of first impression Dean had wanted to make with Cas’ family. He was sure by the end of dinner, half the family probably thought they were crazy. 

When dinner was over and everyone cleaned up, Cas and Dean were left alone at the dining table. “What the hell was that?” Dean hissed.

“I’m sorry, Dean,” Cas said, looking apologetic. “I’m not sure what came over me. It was just...this feeling.”

“This feeling?” Dean repeated. He looked at Cas suspiciously. “Are you feeling OK?”

“Yes, Dean,” Cas said, rolling his eyes. “I’m fine. Well...for the most part. I just...what _exactly_ are we doing?”

Dean blinked, taken by surprise at the question. He wondered if his friend was messing with him. He had to be. But Cas didn’t look like he was joking with Dean which may be worse. Dean gulped, suddenly nervous, wondering if Cas was going to break up with him. He scratched the back of his neck, wishing he was back at home with Sam. 

“Aren’t we, um, introducing me to your family...to try and take the next step in our relationship, Cas?” Dean asked softly, hoping Cas wasn’t going to just dump him here at his mom’s place with her sitting in the next room. That’d be pretty embarrassing.

Cas’ eyes widened and Dean wondered vaguely when this became news to him. Hadn’t they had this conversation the previous night...together? Before Dean could start to panic, Cas seemed to remember something. His eyes seemed to soften just a little, or maybe it was Dean’s imagination. Still, he waited for his friend to respond. If Cas broke up with him, then he’d panic.

“Right...I’m sorry, Dean,” Cas said. “I remember now. It’s just...everything’s a little fuzzy.”

Dean breathed out a sigh of relief. He hadn’t realized how nervous he’d been but this was his first true relationship and he really didn’t want to mess this up. Cas was special to him. He looked at Cas worriedly. Cas had been acting strange all night. Dean felt his forehead, wondering if he was getting sick or something.

Cas swatted his hand away. “I’m not sick. I don’t get sick,” he blurted out before Dean could ask.

Dean frowned. “What?” Wasn’t that a weird thing to say? Especially when Cas had been sick loads of times before.

“Sorry. I don’t know why I said that,” Cas said, frowning. He looked somewhat perplexed.

Dean tried to shrug it off. It didn’t matter since Cas was right this time. He was cool to the touch. “Whatever, man,” he mumbled. “Just, come on. Let’s go talk with your family and watch a movie or something.”

Dean had a bad feeling about the rest of the night, even when Cas nodded. He really should’ve just stayed home with Sammy. He wasn’t sure why he came.

“So, tell me a little about yourself, Dean,” Naomi said. She was sitting on a large fancy white couch that matched her suit. She looked elegant and beautiful and somehow out of place in this house. Dean frowned, wondering why she seemed out of place. This was her house, where she lived.

“Uh, well, my full name is Dean Winchester. I have a brother named Sam Winchester and I’m 35 years old. I work with cars,” Dean replied. The words seemed only half right. He felt like something was missing, something crucial, but he couldn’t pinpoint what it was.

Naomi frowned when he mentioned cars. “Are you a mechanic?”

“Yeah,” Dean said, throat suddenly dry. It sounded wrong for some reason. But this was his life. He worked as a mechanic with a guy named Bobby Singer. His parents Mary and John Winchester were alive and living in Kansas. His dad opened up his own garage years ago and Dean drove to Kansas to visit his folks every so often.

Sam lived with Dean as a successful lawyer. He wasn’t sure why it was so hard for Sam to get off his feet and find somewhere to settle but none of Sam’s relationships ever ended well and he’d come back to Dean for another day, week, month, summer, until he was basically just living with Dean. This was his life. And yet, some of the details felt off.

“Are you intending to marry my son?” Naomi’s sudden question jolted Dean out of his thoughts.

He nearly spat out his wine. He looked up at the woman who looked somewhat amused by his reaction. Dean hadn’t considered that, not really. He was the go with the flow kind of guy. They’d only been dating 8 months but...he looked at Cas who was equally shell-shocked. There was something about Cas. They’d been best friends a lot longer than they’d been dating.

Dean and Cas met when Cas saved Dean from an oncoming car. Dean hadn’t been watching the street closely enough. He just saw the crosswalk lit up so he could go. Dean had been running late to meet his brother who was still in college at the time. A car was speeding by, driver not realizing someone was crossing as they had been on their phone. Dean remembered that day vividly, like it happened just yesterday.

He remembered how he saw his whole life flash before his eyes. He thought he was a goner. If it hadn’t been for Cas, he would’ve been roadkill. Cas who seemed to have come out of nowhere and pulled him back just in time as the car zoomed by and crashed into another car, causing a traffic jam and the whole street to be closed off so the police and paramedics could do their jobs.

They’d been friends since. He hadn’t thought of Cas romantically until a few years ago.

Dean forced a grin and said, “Would it be a problem if I was?” 

Naomi looked thoughtfully at him for a moment before shaking her head. “No, not at all.”

The rest of the night went by like a blur for Dean. They all exchanged stories. Some embarrassing, some not embarrassing. Most of the embarrassing stuff was about Cas though, and came from his siblings. It was both weird and entertaining watching Cas. Some of it, he looked embarrassed and was fidgeting nervously, but other times he just looked confused, like he couldn’t remember the stories.

When Dean got home, he found Sam still up, hunched over some files from work. Dean went into the kitchen and took out two beers. “Heads up,” he said and when Sam looked up at him, tossed him a beer.

Sam caught with practiced ease and nodded his thanks. He still didn’t look relaxed even as he took off the cap and chugged half the alcohol down. It was another long, late night, Dean realized. Sam had become a workaholic and no matter how Dean tried to find someone for Sam, it was like his brother was destined for a lonely life.

 _All work and no play, makes Sammy a very dull boy_ , he couldn’t help but think.

They stayed up until 2 in the morning that night, neither one saying a word. Sam was still busy scanning over his case file and Dean had put in earbuds and was messing around with his ipod. Sam bought him the ipod a few Christmases ago and Dean used it every so often.

He was half asleep when Sam finally turned to face him, his face pale and eyes narrowed. Dean turned off the ipod and took out the earbuds. 

“I’d been thinking about this for a while...” Sam said. “Do you ever wonder if we’re living someone else’s lives?”

Dean wasn’t sure if his brother was messing with him or not. He stopped himself before he could ask what Sam was talking about. The words had an eerily familiar ring to it. Reflecting back on what happened earlier in the night, he realized Cas had asked him something similar. 

“What do you mean?” he asked, wanting to make sure he knew what Sam was asking.

“Like...don’t you think we’re kind of wasting time here?” Sam asked.

“I’m not sure I’m following you,” Dean said. He crossed his arms. “Like right now? Sure we are. It’s 2 in the morning and we both need sleep.”

“No I mean...our lives. Like something doesn’t feel right,” Sam said, getting a little frustrated.

Dean raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t realized Sam felt that way with their lives. “I thought you liked being a lawyer, Sammy.”

“It’s Sam. And I mean, I do. Well, sort of. I mean...it just doesn’t feel right. Like I’m glad I got to finish college and be a lawyer, but Dean, can’t you feel it? Like something’s missing. Something big,” Sam ranted. He was up and pacing, his hand combing through his hair. Dean could tell his brother was exhausted.

“Look, Sammy, I think all this work may be getting to you,” he said and went over to put a gentle hand on his brother’s shoulder. It seemed like the wrong thing to do though because suddenly Sam spun around and grabbed him by the shoulders.

“You don’t get it, Dean. I’m pretty sure I’m not meant to be a workaholic lawyer,” Sam said. “And you’re not meant to be...some stupid mechanic. Something’s not right, man. I try to think about what I did during my college years and it’s all just a blur. Like I know I did stuff during school but nothing stands out to me. I can’t remember if I had a girlfriend, or what class I took, what professors I had, if I went to a party. None of it. It just...feels like someone read to me my life in a book, you know?”

Dean looked shocked at his brother’s confession. It was a little how Dean felt with some parts of his own life. There were some details that seemed wrong. Things he couldn’t picture but he knew it happened. Like someone implanted the memories or something. But that wasn’t possible. It was still his life, his past.

“I um, look Sam, I think we should just go to bed,” Dean said. “I just came back from meeting Cas’ family. They were really awesome. I think we’re going to get married.” He didn’t mean to sound as desperate as he did. Sam’s eyes softened for a moment. 

A long silence lingered. Dean hoped his brother didn’t say anything. He wanted them to just go to bed and forget about tonight. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case.

“Do you really think you’re supposed to get married to Cas?” Sam asked.

Dean shrugged. “I mean, if he wants to get married…”

 _End Scene_.

Chuck leaned back against his chair, grinning to himself. He liked messing with the boys. It was entertaining to see them squirm. Humans were an interesting bunch. Creating them had been the best idea he had since he locked his sister away. Angels had been way too boring, always following the instructions he left to a T. Perfect soldiers made for a boring show. But humans? Complete opposite of angels.

They didn’t all want a master to serve and that had fascinated Chuck. The Winchesters were a prime example. It was in their nature to rebel. And when they got Castiel, a good little angel soldier to rebel as well..well things got a whole lot more interesting for Chuck. It was like a book he couldn’t put down no matter what he tried. And boy did he try.

Now here he was, obsessed to a new degree. He couldn’t wait to release his new book. He was going to keep it separate from the main series of the Winchesters. He could title this new series ‘The Adventures of Cas and Dean’ or something akin to it. Yeah, he thought to himself. That sounded pretty good. His more fervent fans were going to love this. He was sure of it.


	2. Does this seem right? Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas and Dean are best friends and they get married. Cas is starting to realize something might be wrong though. That makes Dean start to wonder...

Dean wasn’t in his bed when he woke up. He looked around at all the guests at his and Cas’ wedding. He saw his brother in a new tux sitting with their parents. He smiled at Dean when he saw him looking at him. Behind them sat Ellen and Jo, Bobby Singer and Rufus. On the other side was Cas’ family which consisted of Naomi, Lucifer, Michael, Samandriel, Raphael and Gabriel. There were a couple other people by them named Uriel and Zachariah. Dean met them only a couple times since they were distantly related to Cas and didn’t visit too often.

There were a lot of other people who showed up that Dean didn’t recognize. Towards the back sat a shorter man with curly hair. His eyes were blue and he looked at Dean with a grin on his face. For some reason the guy creeped Dean out. He turned back to the man he was moments away from marrying. Cas looked great in his suit and tie.

His hair, short and dark, looked like he tried to brush it but gave up halfway through. His face looked relaxed as he smiled at Dean, blue eyes brilliant as the sky. Dean could get lost just staring into Cas’ eyes. He smiled back. This was his life, right? Marrying his best friend after years of dating. Years of dancing around each other, neither wanting to take the first plunge and ask the other out. 

They had been too afraid of rejection, of losing years of friendship in case this relationship didn’t work out. But Dean was happy now. He had Cas. He had his family cheering him on in the stand. He should be happy.

There was just...this emptiness in him. He could feel it. He’d been trying to ignore it but he knew it was there, getting larger and larger by the year. He didn’t understand why. Cas leaned over and Dean thought they were going to kiss. This was them, Cas and Dean, forever. Best friends and lovers. 

Then Cas whispered something in his ear and Dean froze. “This isn’t how it’s supposed to be, Dean. You know that.”

Then Dean blinked and Cas was staring at him like he’d lost his mind. Jim was looking at them and gestured for Dean to say something. His mouth looked like it was saying, ‘Say I do’. 

And Dean, somewhat embarrassed, cleared his throat and said, “I do.”

“And you, Mister Castiel Novak? Do you take, Mister Dean Winchester, to be your lawfully wedded husband, for better and for worse, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?”

“I do,” Cas said.

“Then you may both kiss,” Jim said and stepped back.

They kissed. 

Dean loved Cas. They were best friends. Cas saved him. They got married in a small church surrounded by friends and family. They eventually moved back to Kansas in a nice house in the same neighborhood as Mom and Dad. It was further away from Cas’ family but Cas was OK with that. 

Sam got an apartment close by and finally met the love of his life, Eileen. He was still a lawyer but cut down on his work once he started dating again. They eventually got married and Dean was best man. The wedding was bigger than Dean’s and Dean couldn’t be prouder. There was a lot of food and people and Dean and Cas got a little wasted that night. They had the best sex ever.

5 years down the road, Sam and Eileen moved into a house out of state. They still visited from time to time. Dean received a lot of phone calls and text messages and emails. 

Cas got promoted from being a dental assistant to having his own office with a guy named Garth. Garth was a good guy, though a little strange. Dean was still a mechanic living a simple life with his husband. He was happy, content.

“What do you think about having a couch here?” Cas asked on a hot summer day.

Dean was nursing a beer. It was late afternoon and he was sweating. “Sure, why not?”

Something had been off about the house and he hadn’t been able to figure it out. Maybe it was the lack of said couch. “Or maybe more chairs and a table,” Cas said. He was standing off to the side looking like he was trying to imagine the room in his head. “With maps perhaps. More of a historical feel to it.”

Dean nodded. He could see it. “Yeah. Yeah, I like that. Maybe that’s what is missing.”

Cas tilted his head to the side. “You’ve been feeling the same way?”

“Yeah. I didn’t want to freak you out or anything but it’s just...something has been feeling off since we moved in,” Dean said.

“Dean,” Cas said, moving over to stand next to his husband, “do you think we’re supposed to move into a house?”

Dean raised an eyebrow. What kind of question was that? Was Cas having second thoughts _now_? “What? You think we should get an apartment or something?”

“No. No I mean...this house just doesn’t feel right,” Cas said. He looked slightly annoyed at having to explain himself. “I just...never mind.”

“Look, wait. I get it,” Dean said putting down his beer. Cas was about to leave the room but Dean wanted to still talk. He grabbed Cas’ arm and Cas stopped, turned to look back at him. “Just...can you explain? I want to understand. Because lately things have been really weird.”

“What’s been weird?” Cas asked.

Dean let go of Cas and tossed his hands in the air. “I don’t know, like everything I guess. This house, me, Sam, us - I mean like our lives. I swear I’m not making this up but I fell asleep, Cas, and then I wake up to our marriage. And I don’t remember either of us even proposing to each other. I just met your family...like it didn’t seem like it was too long ago. I know I sound crazy right now. Like super crazy. But I swear I’m not. I’m not making any of this shit up. But it’s like I’ve been in a daze my whole life. Just dreaming or something. And God I’m 40 years old already.” He paused in his rant. His breaths came out ragged. He didn’t dare look at Cas’ face. He didn’t want to see the pity or whatever that was there. “So yeah it must all sound crazy to you,” he said quietly, looking at his bare feet.

“Look at me, Dean,” Cas said and Dean felt fingers grip his chin and move his head up until he was looking into blue eyes. Cas didn’t look like he thought Dean was crazy. “Just breathe in deeply, then out,” he said and Dean did. “Good. Look...I don’t think you’re crazy. If you are, I must be too. We’re not crazy, OK, Dean?” Dean nodded. And Cas let go of his face. “Good. I’ve been thinking the same thing since I woke up here. I think...there’s something very wrong here. I can’t figure it out just yet. Give me some time. But we’re _not_ supposed to be here, Dean.”

Dean sighed. “What are we going to do then?”

“In the meantime, I think we should act like everything’s normal,” Cas replied.

“OK. Normal...right,” Dean said. For some reason the word sounded foreign on his tongue. He wished he knew why.

 _End Scene_.

Chuck frowned. He looked back at his screen. The angel, Castiel, was getting closer to figuring out what was going on. No, no...he couldn’t have that just yet. He looked at his work and decided he was going to scrap it and try again. It didn’t matter. First drafts barely ever got published. And Chuck had all the time in the world. He deleted the document, grinning.

Who knew memory manipulation was something Chuck would find entertaining. Chuck snapped his fingers and said, “Showtime.”

 _Time lapse_.

Cas and Dean were in their late 60s by the time they both decided to retire. They had both lived long lives. Cas had come to John’s funeral years ago. He died of cancer. He attended Mary’s funeral a few years after that. She lived a long, healthy life and died of old age.

Likewise Dean attended Naomi’s funeral. There were a lot of people there because she had been an important lady. She owned multiple companies and gave them to her oldest child, Michael. Michael gave one away to Lucifer and another away to Raphael. Dean had seen all of her children there and wondered what his own funeral would be like.

Cas and Dean had one adopted girl named Claire. She was a pretty blonde with a rebellious attitude that reminded Dean of Sam when he was a kid. She grew up to be beautiful and commanding, climbing the corporate ladder in just three years. She worked under a guy named Dick Roman who loved having her as his partner. 

The two were currently at a golf course. Dean decided he wanted to show Cas how to play golf. Turned out Cas was a fast learner, but Dean had been playing a lot longer, so Cas’ first few games haven’t been all that great. He was slowly catching up though.

“Did you ever imagine we’d end up here?” Dean asked as he swung the club.

Cas shook his head. “No. Never. Is that weird?”

Dean paused, then shook his head too. The ball landed just next to the hole. “Not really. I never thought I’d even make it to retirement age.”

“Why would you think that?” Cas asked.

“I don’t know. I always assumed I’d live a more dangerous life, I guess. That came out weird. Wow,” Dean said. “You know, forget I said anything.” He sounded a little shocked.

“No, no, it’s OK,” Cas said. “I get it. I really do.” He stood up and took Dean’s spot. He put the ball down and swung. The ball flew higher than Dean’s had. It landed a couple feet away from the Dean’s ball and the hole. He turned to Dean. “Dean...I just...I’m not sure what’s going on here but-,”

-

Dean jolted awake and looked at the clock. _Shit_ , he thought. He overslept _again_. He was going to be late for class. Mom was going to be so pissed if he was late on his second week of school. And he’d have to sit and listen to Dad’s lecture all night. No way was that happening again. Dean shot out of bed and grabbed the nearest clean clothes, hurrying to put them on.

His door slammed open and he saw Sam’s mischievous 13 year old face peeking in. “Dean’s late for school. Dean’s late for school,” his brother said in a sing-song voice. Dean groaned when Sam darted down the stairs, shouting at the top of his lungs on how Dean missed the bus _again_.

He heard Dad stomping up the stairs and suddenly Dad was leaning against his door frame, arms crossed, just staring Dean down. Dean paused in buckling his jeans. He wanted to crawl back into bed instead of having to deal with Dad’s disappointing gaze. He hated how quiet Dad could get. It was like when Mom would sigh and look sad when she was disappointed in something.

“Sorry, sir,” Dean mumbled. “I slept through my alarm.”

It was a moment before Dad just sighed and ran a tired hand through his hair. “This is the second time in two weeks, Dean. You can’t keep doing this, son.”

“I know. I’m sorry,” Dean said.

 _End Scene_.

Chuck was looking down at his 4th draft. Was it the 4th draft? He wasn’t sure. He deleted a few already and he wasn’t keeping count. Not really. Anyways...this high school story was a little dull. He didn’t understand how anyone could read this. Maybe...if he changed the main character? He wasn’t sure why he always had Dean as the main character. Sure the kid was fun to mess with and being the Winchesters...man that whole family was great but the angel was fun to play around with too.

Now what kind of sick, crappy past could he give to Castiel? The angel kept trying to scratch at the memory wall Chuck constructed and that wouldn’t do. Chuck needed that wall. He wasn’t all that great at memory manipulation just because it was something he didn’t use much of. He didn’t really have a reason to. So he just kind of made this wall that sort of suppressed their real memories and constructed entirely new ones in their heads. But Castiel had been scratching at it since Chuck put him in the stories. 

And Chuck couldn’t have him tear down the wall. So the angel needed something to distract from doing that. Castiel just had to be punished.

Chuck grinned as he thought of something. He started to type.


	3. Have we met before? Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean and Cas go to high school. Cas meets Dean. Dean thinks he and Cas met before. Cas thinks Dean is maybe a little crazy.

Castiel Novak stared at his reflection in the bathroom. There was a bruise forming on his cheek that hurt like a bitch. He tried not to grimace as he gingerly touched it. Other than the one bruise on his face though, he looked fine. A little pale but that was OK for the most part. He looked down at what he was wearing and decided the attire was fine too. He wore a light blue, long sleeve button up and dark blue jeans.

It wasn’t something he liked to wear all the time but it was good enough. It hid the bruises and cuts on his arms and body from his father’s beatings. No one asked any questions because they couldn’t see them. Well except for the one bruise on his face but he could explain that away easily enough. He was a bit of a klutz at school so no one would second guess him if he said he tripped over the stairs.

Castiel had become a pretty good liar. He wasn’t sure when it started. Probably when he was 12, which would be 5 years ago. It hadn’t been a secret that his mother and father hadn’t been having a good marriage. His mother worked too much and his father was a deadbeat. His father would rather drink and party and let his mother handle everything in the household and outside of it. Eventually Anna snapped and the marriage went down the drain.

They decided to divorce 5 years ago and since then Castiel had been with his mother for a week and his father for the other week, switching back and forth. Castiel had been taking beatings for a couple years now and no one knew. He didn’t want to burden his mother with something he was sure he could handle on his own. He was almost 18 and once he graduated high school, he was going to get his own apartment. So what was another year of _Hell_?

Castiel frowned, touching his cheek once more. It still hurt but it didn’t look too terrible. He sighed and decided to leave it be. He was going to have to go to school and face the music. He walked out of the bathroom and grabbed his stuff. Luckily his father was still sleeping so he wouldn’t have to deal with drama in the morning.

The apartment his father lived in was in a crappy part of town but there was a bus stop close by thankfully. He waited for 10 minutes before the bus showed up and got on. Castiel took his normal seat in the back and waited the 35 minutes it took to get to school. Nothing significant really happened on the ride there. It didn’t get all that interesting in school either, at least not until his third period class, when some kid, Winchester or something, showed up late with his dad right behind him.

Castiel was sitting by the window near the teacher’s desk when Winchester showed his face. He looked embarrassed his dad was even with him. Castiel found himself sitting up a little straighter as he looked the kid up and down. Winchester had short, dark blond hair, green eyes. Freckles stood out on a somewhat pale face. He was tall, probably over 6 feet tall and wore a leather jacket and torn blue jeans.

He grumbled his apology for being late to the adults and took his seat in the back. This was the second time Winchester had been late to class apparently but Castiel was sure he would’ve remembered him. You can’t forget a face like Winchester’s. 

The teacher continued to drone on about grammar and writing but Castiel was already feeling bored within the first 20 minutes. He tapped his pencil staring out the window. He often wondered if this was all life had to offer. He hadn’t thought of what he wanted to do when he turned 18 except to get as far away from his father as physically possible. Like what job would he want to pursue? That he could even be qualified to do?

He wasn’t sure. 

Castiel was still staring out the window when the bell rang, signalling the end of class. It wasn’t until he felt a light tap on his shoulder did Castiel jolt out of his thoughts. He turned around to see Winchester staring down at him with a frown.

“Don’t I know you?” he asked, tilting his head to the side.

Castiel blinked and gathered his books. “I...we’re in the same class,” he said.

“No, I mean...haven’t we met somewhere else before?”

Castiel frowned, perplexed. Of course not. He wouldn’t forget someone like Winchester. Right? He shook his head slowly. “I don’t think we have. You must be mistaken,” he said somewhat apologetically. He stood up and shoved his books into his bag and swung it over his shoulder, ready to bolt out the classroom after his other classmates.

“My name is Dean Winchester,” Winchester said, sticking out a hand for Castiel to take.

“Castiel Novak,” Castiel said and shook his hand.

“Cas,” Winchester said with a smile. “It has a familiar ring to it. Like I’ve said it before.”

Castiel frowned and started to back away. “Look, I’ve got other classes. I’m going to be late.”

“Right. Sorry,” Winchester said backing off. 

Castiel ran out of the room before Winchester could say anything else.

It was weird. Dean Winchester thought they met somewhere before. But Castiel remembered no such thing. And while Castiel didn’t consider himself to have the best memory ever, he still had a pretty damn good one. And he’d remember a guy like Winchester. He was sure of it.

Still, Dean Winchester’s words stayed with him all day. Castiel found himself not paying attention to any of the other classes. His thoughts kept straying to Winchester. Then the last class of the day put him in P.E. with Winchester. He sighed. It could be worse, he thought. At least people didn’t ask him about the bruise on his face.

“Hey, it’s you again,” Winchester said with a grin. He shrugged out of his leather jacket and left it on the bleachers. He had a black tee shirt on. “How’s it going, Cas?”

“It’s Castiel,” Castiel corrected. He sat on the bleachers and watched the rest of the class pick up basketballs and jump ropes. They were told they had free choice today or they could sit out on the bleachers and watch. Castiel wasn’t interested in any of the activities so he opted out. Winchester was leaning against the bleachers next to him.

“Hey come on, Cas sounds cooler,” Winchester said.

Castiel rolled his eyes. “It’s not my name though,” he said. “Look, Winchester, why are you talking to me?”

Winchester made a face. “It’s Dean, not Winchester. And can’t I just make some conversation? You’re not, like, allergic to small talk, are you?”

Castiel snorted. “No. Of course not. But you can talk to anyone else here. Why me?” Seriously...couldn’t Winchester make other friends?

“Look, buddy,” Winchester said, looking somewhat annoyed. “I’m pretty sure we know each other. Like there’s some connection here. You’ve got to feel it too or you wouldn’t even be entertaining the thought of talking to me.” There was an earnestness in his voice Castiel couldn’t ignore. “You know I’m right, Cas.”

Castiel shook his head as he looked back to the rest of the class. He refused to meet Winchester’s gaze. “You’re wrong. We don’t know each other,” he said. “You sound crazy.”

He heard Winchester sigh. “Man...maybe you’re right. Maybe we haven’t met before. But I swear, dude, I swear you look familiar. Like...maybe in a different lifetime? Or...or a dream or something? Or Hell, maybe we bumped into each other on the streets? I don’t know, but dude, it’s like deep down I know we’re friends. Or were friends. Something.” He stopped talking and Castiel tried to fight the urge to look at him. He lost. Dean Winchester’s eyes looked so sincere and he wasn’t smiling anymore. He looked serious, intense. And something seemed awfully familiar about that look. “Sorry,” he mumbled, shoving off the bleachers. “I just thought...well maybe there isn’t a connection there after all. Sorry to bother you, Castiel.”

Then he was walking off to join the rest of the class and Castiel, for whatever reason, felt more alone than ever.

 _End Scene_.

If it wasn’t Castiel poking and prodding at the wall, it was Dean or Sam. What the hell was he supposed to do with them? No matter what situation Chuck put the three in, their rebellious nature always came out to the forefront. Once upon a time, Chuck found that fascinating. Now that he kept ripping to pieces his endings, Chuck found it very annoying.

He sighed as he watched Dean continue to try and hint at Castiel that something may be wrong. Thankfully Castiel wasn’t getting the hint. Chuck smirked as Dean finally gave up. OK, maybe going with the angel was a good idea. He had his doubts last story, but this time the ‘bandages’ Chuck put on his wall were holding up pretty well. He could work with this. Maybe Dean would just think he’d gone crazy and that’d be the end of that. No one fucking messed with a writer. Everyone knew writers were basically gods (although Chuck was the God of gods).

 _Begin Scene_.

Home was certainly not sweet home.

Castiel almost forgot he was still stuck with his father for another few days. As soon as he got home, he kicked off his shoes and began to walk to his room. He was halfway down the hall when he smelled the stench of alcohol. Castiel froze, his eyes wide in fear.

 _Oh shit_ , he thought as he saw Nick come out of the bedroom at the end of the hall. Nick zeroed in on him before Castiel had a chance to back away. His eyes were narrowed and his lips were curled in a snarl. He looked fucking pissed.

“You son of a bitch,” Nick hissed. “You went to school again, didn’t you?”

Castiel nodded slowly. For a while, Nick had been trying to convince Castiel to stay and be homeschooled instead. Castiel had a suspicion his father was afraid Castiel would report the abuse to an adult in the public school system, but Castiel was too scared to report to anyone.

“You stupid motherfucker,” Nick said, grabbing Castiel by his shirt and pushing him against the wall. “You didn’t even bother to hide the bruise. Did anyone ask?”

“N-no,” Castiel said. “No one asked. It’s fine.”

“Good. Keep it that way,” Nick said, getting in his face. Castiel tried not to turn his head but the alcohol in his breath was making the urge hard to ignore. Finally Nick released him and Castiel slid to the floor. A few bills were dropped into his lap and Castiel looked up to see his father staring down at him. “I need you to grab some groceries. The fridge is getting empty.”

Castiel pocketed the money and stood up slowly. He was glad Nick decided not to pummel him that night. He nodded and hurried out of the house, not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth. 

It didn’t take him long to get to the store. Castiel knew a few shortcuts. The air outside was much better than the stink of the apartment. And Castiel was happy to be away from Nick. He took out the crumpled 20 dollar bill. He wasn’t sure what Nick wanted him to buy with this. It wasn’t like the man cooked. He supposed he could get some frozen food but those could get expensive.

He was in the frozen food section when he ran into Winchester.

“Winchester?”

Winchester turned around, startled. When he saw it was Castiel, he gave him a small smile. “Oh it’s you again. Can’t stay away, can you?”

Castiel rolled his eyes. “Or maybe you’re stalking me with your weird _dreams_.” He made air quotes when he said _dreams_.

Winchester looked somewhat embarrassed and turned back to comparing pizza. “What do you want, man? Don’t you get tired of calling people crazy?”

Castiel frowned. “No, I didn’t mean it like that. Sorry, I was a little rude.”

“Just a little?” He could hear the sarcasm dripping in Winchester’s voice. Winchester managed to pick out a box. “Look dude, I’d love to stay and chat but I don’t think you want to talk to crazy people longer than you have to. I hear crazy can be contagious.”

“Look I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to be so harsh earlier,” Castiel said. He looked down at his feet, feeling embarrassed over the conversation that happened earlier in gym class. “You just caught me by surprise and I didn’t know how to respond.”

“Right,” Winchester said. Castiel looked up to see Winchester looking him up and down curiously. He sighed and scratched the back of his head. “Whatever, man. Water under the bridge and all that, right? I probably came off a little crazy,” he admitted. “Anyways I’ve gotta go. Sammy needs his cheese pizza and I need my monster movie night.”

Castiel blinked at the mention of Sammy. Why did that name suddenly sound familiar? 

“Wait,” he called out as Winchester turned away and started to head off. He paused mid step, and turned back to look at Castiel, his eyes questioning. “I just...maybe we have met somewhere before?”

Winchester grinned. “Maybe. Maybe not. I mean, how could I forget a face like yours, Cas?”

For a second, just for a second, Castiel was sure Dean Winchester glowed. It was gone when he blinked and Winchester rounded the corner and was out of sight.


	4. Have we met before? Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel starts to remember. Chuck's powers start to fade.

It dawned on him that manipulating memories was slowly draining his powers. Chuck looked at the screen. Sooner or later, he realized dimly, they were going to regain their memories. He looked down at the wound on his shoulder. It was all because of this, his moment of weakness. He let his guard down around a Winchester and paid the price when Samuel Winchester decided to rebel with the Equalizer. The gun he created for the sole purpose of having Dean Winchester kill Jack.

He glared at the screen before slamming down on his keyboard with a surge of anger. Chuck took a moment to regain his calm. He could feel his control over the Winchesters and angel slip little by little. He typed furiously, all the while, wondering what his sister was up to. Maybe she could fix his little issue.

\- 

It has been a month since the day at the grocery store. While Castiel and Winchester had a couple classes together, Winchester did his best to avoid Castiel like the plague. They said nothing to each other in class, passed by in the hallway as if they were strangers and strangely, lately, it hurt Castiel that Winchester didn’t want to try and talk with him anymore. His heart ached a little as Winchester turned around and headed in the other direction at the sight of Castiel going to his locker. Castiel tried his best to not let it show but since he saw Winchester glow, things had been different.

He’d sometimes wake up in bed after a vivid dream that involved Winchester in a way he never would have imagined. He was sweaty, gripping the blanket as he tried to slow his racing mind.

“ _I was the one who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition,” dream-Castiel said._

_“Yeah...well, thanks for that,” dream-Winchester said and without hesitation, drove a knife through dream-Castiel’s heart._

_He didn’t feel it, though he realized almost too late, maybe he should. Instead he stared at dream-Winchester and gripped the hilt of the knife and pulled it out of his chest. He let it fall to the floor much to the dismay of dream-Winchester_ …

Even in his dreams, Winchester seemed to glow brilliantly and he didn’t understand why. He didn’t understand why Winchester was haunting his dreams now, since the incident in the grocery store. Part of him wanted to ask Winchester if this was what he meant by them having met before. Were they connected through dreams? 

“Wait! Winchester,” Castiel caught up to Winchester before he could disappear from sight. He grabbed hold of Winchester’s bag and spun him around. Winchester looked at him questioningly. “Why are you avoiding me?”

Winchester took a step back and was quiet for a moment. Castiel wasn’t even sure he’d answer. “Well...isn’t this what you wanted?”

“What?” Castiel blinked, not prepared for the response.

“Look, back at the grocery store, it didn’t seem like you were too eager to see me,” Winchester said with a shrug. “I figured I freaked you out and you didn’t want to talk to me.”

Castiel was quiet for a moment, figuring out what to say. He had been freaked out back then. But that was before Winchester glowed and looked achingly familiar. Before all the dreams. Before he wondered if Winchester was right and they’d met before, were connected somehow. He sighed and said, “Well I had a lot of time to think about the stuff you said. I think you might be right.”

“Oh yeah?” Winchester asked slowly. He looked down, ran a hand through his hair. “Look, do you want to talk about this somewhere else...more private?”

Castiel looked around them. They were in the middle of the hallway surrounded by students. He nodded and followed behind Winchester as he led them outside, where there were a couple students here and there but not nearly as many as inside. Winchester leaned back against the building and looked at Castiel. 

Castiel felt naked under his stare, like Winchester was looking straight through him, into his very soul.

“So what changed your mind?” Winchester asked finally when he realized Castiel wasn’t going to start the conversation.

Castiel sighed, rubbing his suddenly sweaty hands together. “I’ve been having these very, uh, strange dreams lately.”

“Strange dreams, huh?” Winchester looked a mix of thoughtful and amused.

“Yeah, they’re very vivid. Almost like,” he paused, wondering if he was going crazy after all for what he was about to admit. “Almost like they’re memories.”

“Memories of what?” Winchester asked, looking more interested now.

“Us,” Castiel said with no hesitation. He studied Winchester briefly. He seemed lost in thought, not looking at Castiel anymore. “You said before that I looked familiar to you. You said maybe we met in a different lifetime. Do you think it’s...possible?”

Winchester looked back at him, a smile on his face. “Maybe. I mean, what do you think?”

Castiel wasn’t sure, but he was inclined to believe Winchester a little more now. “It might be more possible than I originally thought,” he conceded. 

“Then there you go,” Winchester said. “What did you dream about anyways?”

Castiel hesitated for a second. He wasn’t sure what compelled him to tell Winchester. He just did. “I was in a trench coat in a building. With you and some other guy. Bobby Singer? There were lots of writing on the walls, lots of symbols. I don’t know what any of it meant. We were older, probably in our 30s - I don’t know, I’m not a good judge of age. Anyways I said that I raised you from perdition and you said thanks and uh,” he paused, slightly embarrassed as he looked down at his shoes for some reason.

“What? What happened next?” Winchester asked.

Castiel looked up again, “You, uh, stabbed me.”

Winchester blinked at him. He opened his mouth before closing it, not knowing what to say. Finally he just said, “I...stabbed you.”

Castiel nodded. “Yeah. I don’t know where it all came from. It was too realistic to be from my imagination. And it just...I just felt like it was a memory. I knew it was a memory. Isn’t that weird?”

“Sure, sure. It sounds weird. I mean I stabbed you?” Winchester couldn’t seem to get over the fact that he stabbed Castiel in a dream.

“Have you ever had dreams of us?” Castiel pressed. 

“Well,” Winchester hesitated for a moment. He crossed his arms over his chest. “Yeah. I guess I’ve had a few. Uh, do you really want to hear about them though? They’re pretty weird too. Pretty crazy, actually.”

Castiel raised an eyebrow. “You just heard me talking about how I said I raised you from Hell. I think it’s your turn to share.”

“Alright, alright. Well...it involved my brother, you and me, actually. Last night, we uh, were fighting um...monsters.”

Castiel wasn’t sure what he was expecting. Whatever it was, it certainly wasn’t that. “Your brother, you and I were fighting monsters?” he repeated back slowly, unsure he heard correctly.

“Yeah,” Winchester said.

They stood in silence for a little while. Finally Castiel asked, “What do you think this all means?”

Winchester just shrugged as the bell rang, signalling the end of school. “I wish I knew.”

 _End Scene_.

Amara wasn’t sure what her brother was up to. The silence, at first, had been welcoming. After trying to work things out with Chuck and ultimately failing, she decided to keep as far away on this planet as she could from him and his tantrums. Then weeks passed by and she hadn’t heard a peep from Chuck. She was happy to have gotten away from him at first and relished seeing the sights that his creations had to offer. Planet Earth had been a welcome surprise.

She never realized what she had been missing all these millennia ago. The food was heavenly when she turned herself human just to see what all the craze was about. The buildings were made up of decades of history. Nature was astounding in its still beauty and madness. But most of all was mankind. They had seen so much change over the thousands of years of existence. They waged wars, explored, felt emotions and adapted. They did whatever it took to survive and even in their lowest moments, Amara realized that humans were _magnificent_.

Amara wasn’t sure when she changed her mind about humanity. Was it when she saw her brother look at his creations with such adoration? When the human, Dean Winchester, let her free from the confines of her cage?

Maybe...Amara thought to herself, she'd always known humans were beautiful creatures, even through all their imperfections, or maybe because of all their imperfections. They were certainly more beautiful than her brother right now.

“Hello, sister,” Chuck’s voice startled Amara from her thoughts.

She whipped around to find her brother sitting on a stool at the mini bar. If she wasn’t so surprised by his sudden appearance, she’d be seething that he was even in her mansion. She didn’t think she’d ever see him again after their last conversation. Amara crossed her arms.

“What do you want, brother?” she asked.

Chuck looked at her and mimed being hurt by the coldness in her voice. “You wound me, sister,” he said. “Can’t I be a good brother and check on my poor dear sis?”

Amara’s eyes narrowed as Chuck grinned at her like a cat that caught the mouse. “You obviously don’t care about my welfare,” she said. “What do you really want, Chuck?”

“Straight to the point I see,” Chuck said quietly. He wasn’t smiling anymore. “I wanted to make you an offer actually.”

Amara raised an eyebrow. “Oh? What kind of offer?” She looked her brother over and for the first time, noticed the way Chuck was holding his shoulder, like it was wounded. Her eyes suddenly narrowed and she walked over to Chuck, determined to know what was going on. Chuck looked at her wearily. “Why are you holding yourself like that?” she demanded.

Chuck leaned away as Amara came up to him and pried his hands away. “I might be a little hurt?” he offered weakly as she took in the sight of a bullet wound that looked nasty. Why did God have a bullet wound and why wasn’t it healing already?

“What’s going on?” she asked, pressing a finger to the wound. She heard her brother hiss at the touch and her eyes went wide. “You can’t heal this, can you?”

Chuck pushed her hand away, sucking in a deep breath. “Look, it doesn’t matter. It’ll heal over time. I just...I remember you wanting nothing to do with this planet once upon a time. I propose that we start over. You and I, God and the Darkness. It has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?” His arms stretched out wide for dramatic effects.

Amara rolled her eyes. “No it doesn’t,” she said. “And why would I want to start over with _you_ , who dared to lock me away?”

Chuck sighed. “Look, I said I was sorry for that.”

“You didn’t mean it. You never meant it,” Amara said.

“Well I do now. I had a lot to think about over the past couple months,” Chuck replied.

Amara didn’t understand why her brother wanted to try to work things out now when he pushed her away months ago. She narrowed her eyes as she took him in. He used to light up like the sun, all brilliant and warm. Now he looked pale and tired and hurt, almost...Amara almost laughed in delight. Her lips curled in a grin as she realized the predicament her brother was in.

Chuck looked at her, panic in his blue eyes. “What? Why are you laughing at me?” he demanded.

“Oh, look how the mighty has fallen,” she sneered. She took a step back to truly admire her brother’s appearance. He was hurt and he was dim. He looked so frail, like she could tip him over with just a touch of her powers. “You think you can hide it, brother. But you’re actually slowly dying and you don’t know how to stop it. You think I can help you somehow. And you can’t even leave this world on your own, can you? You really need _me_ ,” she said, awe-struck. 

Her precious big brother, the brother she put on a pedestal all those millennia ago. He was not so invincible as she imagined, when she worshipped him like the God he was. No...she saw more of his creation in him at this very moment than any other time in her long life. She shook her head and took another step back.

“Are you really going to leave me here?” Chuck asked, looking bewildered, like he didn’t think Amara could ever turn him down.

“Is it not fitting for you to be imprisoned here with your creations just as you imprisoned into the darkness?” she asked. She started to turn around.

“Wait!”

Amara paused only for a moment. “You wanted to be left alone, Chuck. I’m only giving you what you want.”

Then for the first time in a millennia, Amara left her brother without another backwards glance.

-

Castiel couldn’t get the words that Winchester said out of his head. He wondered if their dreams were connected somehow. Or if they were memories of past lives they both lived. Over the next few months, he woke up sweating and panting, seeing things from those past lives more and more frequently. He saw monsters and wars and blood and death. He felt anger and passion and sorrow and excitement. He wore trench coats and suits and in his hand, he often held a blade.

Castiel didn’t understand most of the dreams. But he seemed to always be with Dean Winchester and his little brother Sam Winchester. And it was weird because he met Sam Winchester a grand total of three times maybe...but this older Sam Winchester with the crazy long dark hair and hazel eyes and pale skin, this Sam Winchester who looked no more than 30 years old whose smile was tired and didn’t shine as bright as his brother’s...somehow Castiel knew it was the same Sam who was only 13 years old now. He couldn’t explain how he knew. Castiel just knew.

And Dean Winchester...why did he always have to glow so brightly?

-

_Dean Winchester had such a bright soul. Even in Hell, his soul called out to Castiel. It didn’t take long before Castiel and his brothers were able to locate the Righteous Man and guide him out of Hell. In the end, no matter what Dean told him, Castiel knew the truth. Dean Winchester did want to be saved. And Castiel would always save him._

Castiel’s eyes snapped open into the darkness. “I remember,” he whispered to no one in particular. He stared up into the ceiling, his eyes narrowing. Chuck did this to them.


	5. Remember

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They get out.

Dean and Cas shared a profound bond. Dean didn’t want to admit it but it was true. Cas was, after all, the one who gripped him tight and raised him from perdition and all that jazz. Dean was back in the bunker, instead of in the hellhole Chuck put them in. He looked around to find Cas and Sam laying across from him. He wasn’t quite sure what the hell happened but he was banking on Cas getting them out. The angel was good at that...saving their asses last second, that is.

He got up and stumbled to the table, his legs felt like jello. His head hurt still and his memories were coming back slowly. He remembered a gun, the Equalizer as Chuck liked to call it, Jack and almost killing Jack. He remembered wanting to so badly because the world was going to end again if he didn’t stop him. But Jack didn’t put up a fight and looked sad and resigned and he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t pull the trigger because Jack wanted to die and it just...wasn’t right. He remembered Chuck getting pissed off. And then Chuck showed his true colors.

Turned out Chuck was a douchebag. Well more than a douchebag. _The_ douchebag of all douchebags really. Dean frowned as more memories came rushing back. He gripped onto the nearest chair. He remembered Chuck killed Jack and then...Sam shot Chuck. And then Chuck went crazy and he said if they wanted to get to the end of the story, fine, that was fine by him. And he snapped his fingers and the sky turned black and Dean couldn’t remember...he blacked out.

And suddenly he...was here? No that didn’t seem right. He looked over to Cas where he was slumped on the floor near Sam. He winced at the pressure in his head as he tried to remember more. He pushed himself to walk over to them.

“Hey, wake up, Cas,” he whispered as he knelt over the angel. He gently shook him.

There was a groan as the angel opened his eyes slowly. “Dean?”

“Yeah, it’s me, Cas,” Dean smiled.

“...remember anything?” Cas asked, gradually waking up.

“For the most part. There are some stuff that’s a little fuzzy,” Dean confessed. He looked over to his brother and gently shook him awake as well. “Hey, man, come on. Rise and shine, Sammy.”

Sam groaned and opened his eyes. “Ugh, what the hell happened?”

“Beats me. I feel like I’ve been asleep for ages,” Dean replied with a shrug.

“Where’s Cas?” Sam asked, pushing himself up on his elbows. He looked around, taking in the familiar surroundings of the bunker.

“Right here, Sam,” Cas said from behind him. He slowly sat up, grimacing as pain shot through him.

Dean blinked. “Hey guys, weren’t we at the cemetery? Where’s Jack?”

“Don’t you remember? Jack is dead,” Cas said. The look on his face was enough for Dean to realize Jack meant a lot to Cas. He remembered how close the nephilim was with everyone. His fingers curled as he realized how young Jack had really been before he was taken from them.

“Right. I was hoping that was just a dream,” Sam said when silence fell over them for a moment. He tried to sit up but Dean saw Sam’s eyes squeeze shut and he curled into his body protectively. Dean rushed over to see if his brother was OK. “Son of a bitch,” Sam said through gritted teeth.

“Sam? Where does it hurt?” Dean asked, hands already on Sam, trying to get a better look. “Come on, man. Let me take a look.”

It took almost all of Sam’s strength to uncurl himself and point to his shoulder. Dean saw a nasty looking wound on his brother’s shoulder. Cas wasted no time pushing Dean to the side and trying to heal Sam.

“Is he going to be OK, Cas?” Dean asked anxiously. He pushed himself back up to watch Cas. “Can you heal it?”

A couple minutes went by and Cas hadn’t said a word. His face was void of emotions and for a moment it was like Cas reverted back to soldier Cas. The angel he was before Dean led him to falling. Then it was over and Cas stopped, leaning back, with a defeated look. He looked worn down and tired and troubled. Dean didn’t like the look. 

“Is he OK now, Cas?” Dean demanded. He felt a mix of anger and panic bubbling up. It wasn’t a good combination really.

Cas shook his head. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen a wound like this, Dean. I can’t...close it.” He looked down at his hands in wonder.

“It’s OK, guys,” Sam said. He attempted a smile but it didn’t reach his eyes. It was obvious to Dean that his brother was scared. “Really. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

Dean wasn’t so sure. They decided to dress the wound as best they could. They cleaned it and dressed it in bandages. Sam threw a shirt over it so they could pretend he hadn’t been shot by God. Even after all that though, Dean knew without a doubt what was still on everyone’s minds. Or at least who.

“Do you remember anything else? After Sam shot Chuck?” Cas was asking a few hours later.

The three of them were sitting at the table, drinking beer and trying to look a little less depressed that the world was still going to shit. Dean frowned into his beer, wishing he knew where Chuck was so he could kill him. He glanced over to the gun. He didn’t care if he would have to sacrifice himself. Dean looked up to see Cas staring back at him, still waiting for an answer.

“Not really,” he answered truthfully. He picked up the Equalizer. It was cold and smooth and felt like any other gun. The only difference besides it being able to kill God was the rune marks etched into it by Chuck. He had to give Chuck props, it was a pretty gun.

“What about you, Sam?” Cas asked.

Sam shook his head slowly, wincing in pain at the movement. The brothers watched as the angel got up and moved over to them. 

“That’s odd,” he said and he put his hands on their foreheads. “Let me see if I can help you both remember then.” Light emanated from his hands and Dean closed his eyes.

He gasped as he remembered living lifetime after lifetime with Sam and Cas by his side. There was a lifetime where he and Cas were best friends and they married each other and lived happily ever after, there was another time where they met in high school, and yet another where they were both hunters and Dean saved him from a Wendigo, and another where Cas saved him from an oncoming train, where Cas and Dean were rivals from different companies...it went on and on until he felt like his head would explode.

Then it stopped and he opened his eyes and Cas, the angel of the lord Cas, was hovering over him looking worried. “Are you alright, Dean?” Cas asked.

Dean nodded. “Yeah. I think so,” he said. He wasn’t sure if he was but he figured he’d get there as soon as they killed Chuck, so it was somewhat true. Cas didn’t look like he really believed him but he didn’t say anything else and Dean was grateful for that.

“Do you think this was all Chuck messing with our heads?” Sam asked after a while.

His real question was implied. _Was anything they ever did and ever felt even real?_ And Dean looked at Cas and Cas looked back at Dean. Dean put a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “It doesn’t matter if Chuck’s messing with us,” Dean said loudly. “We’re gonna find a way to stop that son of a bitch. We’ll make him pay, Sammy.” He felt Sam’s shoulder stiffen underneath him. “Right, Cas?”

Cas nodded. “His powers are fading. It’s why I was able to get free in the first place. Then I was able to get the two of you free as well.”

“That’s good news,” Dean said, clapping Cas on the back. He looked at them in determination. “Don’t worry, guys. We’ll win this. Team Free Will always prevails.”

Dean believed it. Cas and Dean, after all, were best friends. And God or no God...they made their own choices. They lived lifetime after lifetime and always found a way back to each other. They shared a profound bond, after all. And it was that same bond that let him save Dean in Hell. It was that same bond that let Cas make his way back to their own present. And it was that same bond that would help the two of them defeat Chuck. 

He was sure of it.

**The End...for now.**


End file.
